A south Texas thunderstorm

I was sitting out on the porch listening to our thunderstorm roll in.
It's raining now, and the dogs aren't smart enough to come in out of the rain.

We have an old fashioned thunderboomer going on right now, where the roll comes from one horizon and rumbles to the other, shaking everything as it passes.

English people don't like it when thunder shakes a concrete slab motel room.

The lightning is starting to arrive, and the sharp thunder reports. The dogs are still chasing toads.

Selected! Not elected!

Heard that lately?
Well, I guess Antonio Saclia is getting tired of it, because he's telling those who keep saying it to Get. Over. It.

Now, with the dogfight going on over on the Left. With no clear-cut winner going into the DNC nominating convention, it looks like it'll be up to the super-delegates to decide.
They're going to be the ones who pick the nominee, not the great unwashed.
Does anyone think we'll be hearing about whoever being "Selected, not elected"?

Remembering ANZAC Day

To the thousands of our allies who endured Gallipoli in an effort to keep free men free.

You always have been true friends and allies, and I sincerely hope we stay that way.

Ladies,,,

Because I like you all alot.
Have a look at this, and this.

And guys, Mothers day is coming up soon.

I almost forgot

Happy EARTH DAY!

Oh. Darn.

Those sediments can't convey just how badly I feel about pricing myself out of an equipment drop to DFW. On Saturday.

The only positive thing I could see about the trip would be the possibility of buying a pistol from Traction Control. I may have offered to go up for less if they were throwing in a motel room, but I'm not making a DFW and back round trip for less than $200.
Sorry guys, if you want me to fight week-end traffic in an old bucket truck without A/C or a radio while hauling a POS backhoe trailer that fishtails at 50 MPH- you'll have to make it worth my while.

I heard a part time driver jumped at the offer for $125.

I'm heartbroke.

AND in further work news, we got sent home early Fri because of the weather- it had rained earlier and the General contractor didn't want macines churning up the mud. We had to finish some undergound pull boxes. I and three other guys- one of whome isn't your girl-crazy construction type. The other two were complaining of getting wet and muddy. And complaining of getting wet and muddy.
Finally the young kid said "Look, I'm gay as a three dollar bill, and I'm not biatching as much as you two, suddup."

Looking at my sitemeter

I'm glad to know that "Animal farm" is still on required reading lists.

If you have any questions, just leave a comment and I'll do my best to help.
If either of the two Democrat candidates get in the White House, you'll see a real live version within two years.

I missed BaG day

I was too broke from paying my 'evil rich people' taxes. I ended up paying about $1600 more than Uncle Sugar took out. I had a good run with the humongous cable company as an independent contractor.

Anyway- May is coming up and with it, about $1350 in overpayment's on the mortgage and about $1500 in govt, bribes the Bush incentive package.
Karen just got herself a brand new Brother 60i sewing machine tonight.

So, I guess my combination BaG day and birthday present will be one of these:

A Colt conversion .38spl Army (.36 in black powder)

A 1871(Colt conversion) Richard Mason .38spl

A 1858 New Model (Remington) .45LC (.44 in black powder)

Just because I like the look of the cap and ball revolvers.

The other choices are:

A .45 Bisley Blackhawk W/7.5" barrel- which with the long barrel and the prominent front sight would make it problematical if I wanted to get into Cowboy action shooting, wouldn't it?

This .44MAG super Blackhawk doesn't look bad, either- same problem with the CAS thing, though.

On the other hand, I could jump into the present with both feet.

I know it's better (and safer) to use modern cased rounds, but there's something relaxing about the steps involved in preparing cap and ball fire arms.

UPDATE-
Karen says not the Colt conversions, they're too much like the one I have already, and she's not sure about the Remington (looks kinda girly). Also, I'm not an auto kind of guy either- just wouldn't be right -atoll.
She sounds intertested in the CAS thing, though- especially the period dress. "So, I could dress up like a bar-girl?"

A warbird weekend and a change

We'll change things up a little to get you in the mood



Ripped from the pages of "Yank" magazine- a mag by and for servicemen....


Ann Gwynne


Betty Grable


Ingrid Bergman


Norma Jean Baker


Lauren Bacall


While I was looking for USO pics, I came on this site that sort-of includes that old "Hollywood heroes of WWII". but shows even more names you might recognize.
I bet one someone had a great time playing a 'Doggie' General. It probably gave his signature speech the ...conviction that we were right ...via Paris Island.


...AND highlighting our boys in Sevice, they're having fun in the sun with their version of a 3 gunshootout.

Just got back from Wally-world

I spent about $135 there.
I would have spent more, but they think that with summer here, the only inexpensive shirts they'll sell is tee-shirts, OR $20+ workshirts.

Sorry, I want a button down shirt with pockets that I don't have to worry about ruining. I don't want a 'Dikies" brand, or a "Wrangler" brand of heavy shirt...this is west Texas where it gets 100+ in the shade and all a breeze does is move the heat. I also don't want to be wearing a shirt that looks like I mugged Beaver Cleaver to get it.


My work phone took a dump sometime betwween Fri. amnd this morning- I got in the truck and it was hot- and wouldn't come on. So I'm thinking about getting an unlocked LG flip phone to use when this one gets replaced with another Nokia 6010 where half the buttons don't work. I saw one on e-bay that mentioned a phone needing a "new" SIM card instead of an "old" SIM card. According to the pic, I have an "old" SIM card...does anyone know if they're interchangeable, or do I need to look for a phone with an "old" SIM card?


UPDATE-
I just got me an LG 1400 Cingular camphone for $49 (with shipping) that should work with my work SIM card, that way I can put the PoS Nokia in the glove box until they want it back.

This is how I remember hearing it

Instead of the way it's probably supposed to sound:


And on top of it all, I always thought it was Scots or Celtic- not from a German.

Yes, I'm a musical heathen.

I was just looking at my John Cornyn bloglink

When I saw that both of my Senators voted FOR the wasteful and fraudulent "Renewable Energy Bill"
So, in spite of me being for him, I sent off an e-mail that will never be seen by human eyes, if he's anything like Kay Bailey-Hutchinson in his responses.

Sen. Cornyn,

I just read on your re-election blog that the renewable energy bill was passed 88-8, with both of my Senators voting FOR the bill.

Imn want to let you know that EVERYTHING I buy that has even the slightest connection with corn is rising faster than the increasing cost of anything else. Meat, eggs,cheese, milk, beer, cooking oil...

I also notice that the newest energy bill has absolutely nothing about us using our OWN oil.

I realize that no human being will read this, but I want to let you know that the "Big Ag" subsidies you're spending on E-85 are largely wasted in energy recoverable and money from me twice- once in taxes and then higher prices for an ever expanding range of goods affected by the "Renewable Energy" wish. Not only does E-85 cost more on a per-mile basis, the mileage on E-85/Flex fuel vehicles on REGULAR gas is less than on a straight gasoline vehicle of the same make.

Do you people ever use your own money for anything in the real world? I'm just curious because when I'm paying $70 to fill an S-10 gas tank- I'll refuse to vote anyone back in to D.C.


Thank you for giving me a place to vent, at least.
I would send this to KBH, but I have received more than enough mail sent by keyword bots.

I sure wish SOMEONE up in D.C. would let us use our own oil, instead of having to rely on terrorist enablers and being at the mercy of Wall Street Oil Profiteers.

The "Yearning for Zion" raid

I don't know how much you're hearing about it, but it's a constant news item here.
Not only is it a news item, but the news is being presented in a very and obviously leading way.

It's like they're trying too much to convince you that something worse than whats real happened there.

Supposedly a 16 yr-old named Sarah called and anonymously reported abuse- which gave the Nanny-state all the opening it needed to go in and start the PR process going.

Except that there is no Sarah that has come forward yet. If there ever was one.
But that "anonymous call" was all those elected officials needed to barge in and haul off all the females and children from the ranch.

For some reason, my sense that something Waco-ish was going on,,,except that this President and his D.A. didn't burn the occupants to death.

Time-Life years ago had a series of books

I read several of these historical sets : The Vikings, The Old West, WWII, The Air War...

Maybe some of them should be required reading for the editors of their ad-filled magazine?

Their latest has the "Global warming" scam compared equally to WWII and Iwo Jima, including the Mt. Surabaci pic photoshopped with a tree being raised.

Time managing editor Richard Stengel appeared on MSNBC April 17 and said the United States needed to make a major effort to fight climate change, and that the cover’s purpose was to liken global warming to World War II.



“[O]ne of the things we do in the story is we say there needs to be an effort along the lines of preparing for World War II to combat global warming and climate change,” Stengel said. “It seems to me that this is an issue that is very popular with the voters, makes a lot of sense to them and a candidate who can actually bundle it up in some grand way and say, ‘Look, we need a national and international Manhattan Project to solve this problem and my candidacy involves that.’ I don't understand why they don’t do that.”

Except, you Dork- climate change will resolve itself.
AND- if you read that T-L series of WWII books you'd find that almost the ONLY countries preparing for WWII were Germany, Japan and Italy.
If you went further into those books, you'd find that the Manhattan Project was designed to build something you Liberal Greenies abhor- the Atom bomb.

Can someone ship this guy an entire case of CLUE?






And speaking of clueless libs, the answer was YES!

On this day..

April 17


858 Benedict III ends his reign as Catholic Pope.

1492 Christopher Columbus signs a contract with Spain to find a western route to the Indies.

1521 Martin Luther is excommunicated from the Roman Catholic Church.

1524 Present-day New York Harbor is discovered by Giovanni Verrazano.

1535 Antonio Mendoza is appointed first viceroy of New Spain.

1758 Frances Williams, the first African-American to graduate for a college in the western hemisphere, publishes a collection of Latin poems.

1808 Bayonne Decree by Napoleon I of France orders seizure of U.S. ships.

1824 Russia abandons all North American claims south of 54′ 40′.

1861 Virginia become eighth state to secede from the Union.

1864 General Grant bans the trading of prisoners.

1865 Mary Surratt is arrested as a conspirator in the Lincoln assassination.

1875 The game "snooker" is invented by Sir Neville Chamberlain.

1895 China and Japan sign peace treaty of Shimonoseki.

1929 Baseball player Babe Ruth and Claire Hodgeson, a former member of the Ziegfield Follies, get married.

1946 The last French troops leave Syria.

1947 Jackie Robinson bunts for his first major league hit.

1961 Some 1,400 Cuban exiles attack the Bay of Pigs in an attempt to overthrow Fidel Castro.

1964 Jerrie Mock becomes first woman to fly solo around the world.

1969 Sirhan Sirhan is convicted of assassinating Senator Robert F. Kennedy.

1970 Apollo 13–originaly scheduled to land on the moon–lands back safely on Earth after an accident.

1975 Khmer Rouge forces capture the capital of Cambodia, Phnom Penh.

1983 In Warsaw, police rout 1,000 Solidarity supporters.

Born on April 17
1622 Henry Vaughan, poet
1676 Frederick I, king of Sweden
1741 Samuel Chase, signer of the Declaration of Independence
1820 Alexander Cartwright, sportsman, developed baseball.
1866 Ernest Henry Starling, British physiologist.
1885 Isak Dinesen (Karen Dinesen), Danish writer (Out of Africa).
1894 Nikita S. Khrushchev, Soviet premier (1958-64).
1897 Thornton Wilder, novelist and playwright (Our Town).

Most importantly, Kurt was born!

Can't see it from my house

Anyone who's ever done construction work has said that at least once on something minor and hidden.

I have more than once for something that wasn't quite right, but not worth the time and trouble to do something if it wouldn't make a difference anyway.
I'm assigned to a crew now who's entire attitude is that way, from leaving piles of dirt in a trench, to burying kinked conduit to taping and burying split conduit.

It really makes it hard to go in and watch with the foreman knowing what's going on, too,
I guess that's why I'm so burnt out at the end of the day- knowing that I'm just there making time for a paycheck.

I thought so

Ok, let me get this straight.
Israel is getting tired of playing nice with homicidal, and suicidal terrorists.
The latest unprovoked attack killed two fuel depot workers that worked the ONLY working pipeline into Gaza.
Also naturally Israel shut off fuel supplies until they could make their citizens safe(er) from people who rely on that fuel.

The terrorists and their civilian supporters are crying about human rights abuses and the usual apologists are "TSK"ing Israel again.

Now, look at this map and tell me-

• Does Gaza not have any kind of port, or quay?
• Are the Palestinians even able to get anyone (besides Israel) to deal with them?
• One entire side of their country is alongside the med, don't they have anything worth exporting- besides hate?
• I know they have money because everyone is either slimed into or willingly gives them ,,,,guilt gelt.
  

Why do thy need Israel, it's not like they were landlocked and surrounded by the Chosen people.

The six word meme

Version 2.0 via Old soldier this time.


He don't do no steenkin memes!

My Friday

In pictures.

This is the end result of someone not making sure that two 60+' of power supply cables were secured at the top bracket of a light pole. When the wire fell, it took the entire pinplug assy with it- both the top and bottom. All I had to work with was unmarked black and white wires- and one live circuit to re-pair the circuits with. It took me all day Thursday to get things put together the way they were supposed to be, and all the lights worked....

Except one. A top outside light, the #4 light.

So, back I am on a windy Friday to make sure all the lights have a good connection, even if I have to bypass broken pins and plug wires into the female pin and tape them in.

Still have the one light out, so here we go unto the catwalk.

There's my elevator because I'm too old, fat and lazy to climb.

There's my fat ant (a journeyman) who's going to be flipping power switches for me as I look for the problem.

As I worked my way out, checking connections and insulation, I ended up having to take the light off the arm to check for problems inside.

Did I mention it was windy as h*ll?
After checking the connectors and not finding a problem, I did the last thing I could.
I changed the 15000w metal-Halide bulb, and found that it didn't want to go in right.

Did I mention it was windy as h*ll and the light i was working on was tied-off to the arm and swinging around? Did I mention the 1500W bulb was as big as a football, and as light as...a light bulb?
After putting it where it wouldn't blow off the pole, I took a couple turns on the screws holding the socket and when it look right, I got the bulb and screwed it in to make good contact.

Ok Mr. journeyman, lets see if it works....YES! We have light! So I put everything back like it was, and even made sure to leave it aimed like it was.

That's the one, all the way up and on your left.

And, NO! that lower light is supposed to be like that, I didn't move it.

So what is the downside again?

...Of "GLOAL WARMING!!!"?

I mean, all this extra corn and other edible crops going right into the maws of "BIG ETHANOL" instead of feeding people need more places to be planted. So when "GLOBAL WARMING" hits (finally) it wiil make more land available to plant corn for BIG ETHANOL to use, and there will be less use of electrical plants to warm the polar people.

So now enjoy:

They *REALLY* need to find new playmates

When i was growing up, my mom always told me: "If you can't say something good about someone, then don't say anything at all."

I usually take that advice- except in this blog, nothing to write about otherwise.

This thing about Barry and Michelle not being able to find anything but bitterness, discontent, unhappiness, racial disharmony and the like seem to me that they're (subconsciously?) looking for those people. But then they *ARE* Liberal Democrats who practice racial hate, so I guess it just goes with the territory.

Maybe they don't know the the 75% of America who have a positive outlook on life and the future. Maybe they don't want their brittle bubble of elitist arrogance jarred against a corner of common sense America- no matter which party it belongs too.

They don't want to see a middle-class black family living and socializing with other colors in the same neighborhood,,,it's something they're not familiar with. Never done the backyard BBQ with the neighbors unless it was politically expedient.
They didn't see blacks and whites working together to rebuild their communities after the two gulf coast hurricanes- all they could focus on the self-enforced helplessness of the N'awlnes blacks.

You look at them. And you look at the church they belong to and you just have to wonder, just how twisted are the outlooks of their two daughters listening to a preacher telling them to hate what what makes them able to live like they do.

H&R Not

I went down to e-file my taxes today at a large tax filing company.
As she was entering my hard copy into her computer, she was verifying information.
When she got to Thing 2, I told her immigrant, Green Card, and we went on until we got to my 1040-SE (self employment); where I dropped a zero in my taxable income.

Ok, everything else was ok until we got to the owed taxes, which I had figured at around $1600.

Wrong- she had me at almost $3000 owed.

OUCH!!!!!!!

WTF???!!!????

Ok, yes I did kinda loose it there, and told her to hold it while I came back with another credit card.

When I got back with another card (with more money on it) she was busy and I ended up with the owner who re-checked the info because I had Thing Twos accurate birthday. As we rwere going down the list, she mentioned that too bad T.T. wasn't a greencard holder- or I'd save about $1100 in taxes.

UMMmmmmm,,,,,she HAS a Green card, I told the original prep woman.
Oh, it's not marked that way, lets change it and see what we have.

After we rechecked and changed some of my bed figures, we ended up about $200 more than I had come up with. So instead of $1600, I ended up with a Tax owed of $1800.

No thanks to someone who's either too busy, or thinks she knows your answers better than you do.

But I'm in a better situation than Rachel Lucas, who btw shares my sentiments on the Fedral handouts to those "Entitled" to have them.

If you need your vodka fix

SKYY vodka supports the Treaty of Guadalupe.




Which is a much better map than their European competitors, now

Isn't it.

Doogie Howser gets it

And I hope that he remembers it if they try to get him to start making B.S. political statments.

"My job description is to act," his statement said, "and I should really do just that."

Ok, actually he was talking about a writer taking some of his Britney comments out wrong when he was talking about her guest apperance on his show.

As I sit here

Doing the DAILY installation of WinVISTA *very important* updates.

I'm looking at going back to my favorite set of stadium lighting to try to find out why one light won't work. Nice, and I have to get on the platform and reach around a 2' reflector. OR re-run about 10' of wire thar could have gotten stripped when the cable assy. pulled loose and dropped the 60+ feet to the bottom.
I had to remake the pinplug yesterday because most of the top parts stayed with the bottom when it dropped.

It's weird, I blew a fuse wile pairing the wires up, and when we light the top bar, all of the lights come on except the far one (without the fuse). When we swap fuses, only one light (out of 4) come one- and NOT the one that was missing a fuse.

Back to you Folly

I got tagged for the 6 word meme thing, so here it goes.

Not interesting enough to forward memes

The new Hot Magenta is,,,Famous

Really! Crayola is renaming their colors again- because change is good.



Yep, gone is the day when a crayons name was actually a description of the color. Now it might be Famous or Best Friends or Bear hug.
It's not like coloring crayons might actually teach children their colors and the right names for them.

So one day you'll be watching some home improvement show and a gay interior designer is going to mention how wonderful a color scheme using "Famous" as a highlight with "Best Friends" as another color.

Sorry, but I have to call Barbra Striesand on this test

You Belong in 1955

You're fun loving, romantic, and more than a little innocent. See you at the drive in!

What Year Do You Belong In?

Because first of all they didn't HAVE a Mustang back in the '50's.
Second when I went back to look at the questions again, it moved me from 1950 to 1955.
And I have no idea how preferring "Mork and Mindy" to "Lucy" ...and old rock to Swing, then skipping the entire date for the "home run" puts me back into the '50s?

Looks like gas is going to be in the $4/gal range soon

I wonder what ever happened to that huge oil deposit that covers three states, centered in South Dakota? The article I read (last month) said more would be forthcoming in a bout a month (about last week).

I'm wondering if that article was grossly overoptimistic in their estimates?

Anyone got an idea on how we can get a phone-in campaign going to our House Dems, thanking them for their energy policy that has us in this position?

I'm thinking of slapping names and phone numbers on the gas pump saying "Let your Congress critter know how you feel about their ban on using our own oil" With local numbers and names.
who wants to join?

How things change

Or seem to change, given today's present state of politics.

I was listening to Joe Lieberman talking to Sean Hannity on the way home and he actually sounded rational. Like he could look at both sides of an issue and try to decide what to do by using facts instead of emotion.

Then I remembered that he was a Veep for John F'ing Kerry (D-ork)* AlGore (D-oofus) and the only reason he isn't a Dem now is that the flaming Libs in Conn. threw him out for realizing the GWT actually was doing good.

I like Joe Lieberman and think that he means to try doing what is actually best for the country without the iron plated dogma of the far left blinding him. I'd even cut him some slack on some of his ideas,,,,but know I's probably not vote for him as Prez.....unless he was up against either Dem running now.

* Thanks Boyd, got my droning freakshow mixed-up with my clusterf^ck freakshow.